Sage carries a history as rich as the flavor it brings to food.
Botanically known as salvia, sage has been treasured since ancient times for its medicinal properties. Today, it’s a traditional addition to poultry and game stuffing, pork and cheese and is thought by many to contain properties that aid in the digestion of fatty foods.
Roman historian Pliny the Elder first used the name "salvia" in his Natural History of the vegetable kingdom. The term derives from salvare (meaning to heal or save) and refers to the plant's believed medicinal values. In the 16th century, noted English herbalist John Gerard wrote that sage "is singularly good for the head and brain; it quickeneth the senses of memory."
The International Herb Association chose sage as its Herb of the Year for 2001 because of its culinary, medicinal and ornamental properties.
Choose from Hundreds of Sage Varieties
With its two-lipped flowers, square stems and opposite leaves, sage is considered a member of the mint family. There are more than 900 species of salvia and hundreds more cultivated and natural hybrids, according to Betsy Clebsch, author of A Book of Salvias: Sages for Every Garden (Timber Press, 1997.)
Not all salvias are appropriate for culinary use, and quite a few are not hardy enough to survive cold winters.
Most common among the culinary sages is garden sage, known botanically as Salvia officinalis. Hardy enough to grow in most of North America as a perennial, the subshrub has woody, wiry, square stems and pebble-grained grayish leaves. It's the sage most often found in dried poultry mixes.
Other varieties of S. officinalis worth trying in the kitchen include Berggarten sage, with broad, round blue-green leaves and Purpurea, or purple sage, with reddish-purple leaves.
Given full sun, good air circulation and well-drained soil, S. officinalis is generally an easy plant to grow. It also comes in gold (Aurea), green and yellow (Icterina) and white, purple and green (Tricolor) forms. All three, while attractive, are often not hardy in colder regions and draw mixed reviews as to their culinary usefulness.
Use Fruit-Scented Sages in Recipes
Another type of sage, Salvia elegans, has special value on the dessert table. Varieties include pineapple sage, a three-foot-tall plant with sweet, pineapple-scented leaves and scarlet flowers, and dwarf, or honeydew melon sage, which is believed to be a smaller version of pineapple. A more-recent introduction, tangerine sage, has leaves with a citrus overtone and deeper red flowers.
Leaves of S. elegans can be used in teas and other beverages, or finely chopped into salads and dessert batters. The flowers work nicely as a garnish and add color to cookie and cake batters.
S. elegans is generally not hardy enough to survive cold winters, and gardeners must either grow cuttings inside over the winter, or buy new plants each spring.
Although the flavor of sage is most intense when fresh, nearly all varieties of S. elegans and especially, S. officinalis, keep their scent well when dried. Stored in an airtight container in a dry, cool location, the dried herbs will help sage-hungry cooks survive until the next growing season.
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